Episode VII: Dreams of the Force
by FallenHero84
Summary: An alternate continuity of the events of Episode VII. 30 years after Return of the Jedi, the galaxy is still struggling to govern itself. Rey lives a lonely life on an ocean planet, until she learns of a droid that could affect the upcoming reelection of Leia Organa, president of the New Republic, while also encountering an insurgent group, the Sith Imperialists, led by Kylo Ren.
1. Battle Above, Water Below

A long time ago, in a galaxy far,

far away….

**Episode VII**

**DREAMS OF THE FORCE**

Luke Skywalker has vanished.

Chaos runs rampant in the NEW

REPUBLIC. Remnants of the

overturned Empire have broken off

into various small factions. Many

seek retribution against the legacy

of Skywalker.

General LEIA ORGANA, president

of the Galactic Senate, is running

for reelection. In an effort to restore

peace and justice to the fractured

galaxy, she has formed a union between

the democratic planets. Leia's opponent,

Senator Tyk Zyr, has begun a clandestine plan

to discredit her.

En route from Coruscant,

one of the Coalition's starships finds

itself pursued by sinister agents of

the SITH IMPERIALISTS, lingering

shadows of the past….

* * *

**CHAPTER I**

The vastness of space stretched out as far as the eye could see.

Then several shots were fired.

The Finalizer was an Imperial-class Star Destroyer; it had existed since the days of the Empire before the Sith Imperialists had found it and revamped it. It ran just as perfectly now as it did in the days when it had been a military weapon, run by officers. Now it was no longer run by officers but by insurgents. A crew of eleven manned the entire vessel with ease. Ten of them, all powerful members of the Sith in their own right, followed the orders of their master. He stood behind them, slowly watching. The blue planet Naragna appeared closer through their windows.

They were closing in on their target. Eu IV was a small starship, similar to the ones originally manufactured on Alderaan. Not that any of the Sith Imperialists had been alive to see Alderaan, or knew much of that fabled planet that had been destroyed over thirty years ago. No, this crew was young and quite willing to ignore history.

More shots were fired, and Eu IV took heavy damage. How many passengers could be onboard such a tiny vessel? Certainly no match for Sith Lords. With another shot, the starship began to go down. It had started to fall towards Naragna's orbit.

The Finalizer began to make a descent towards the planet's surface. If a crash landing was going to be needed to finish the job, then so be it.

Naragna was a planet consisting entirely of ocean. It contained no islands or land-masses; only a few dwellings and huts that had been built years later by the the human population that had emigrated. Its planet-wide ocean was tumultuous, full of various ships and battle droids that had sunk into the waters, raining down from the sky from the battles of long ago.

Eu IV landed, predictably, in the middle of the ocean. The vessel submerged for a second, then began to float. The Finalizer soon arrived not too far behind it. Most Imperial-class Star Destroyers had had landing capabilities when entering planet orbits, and this one was no different. It landed just over the downed starship, and the Sith Imperialists began to drop down. Each one landed in the ocean with a splash, and then began to board Eu IV.

Ten of the Sith Imperialists awaited orders, and then their master spoke. Wearing a mask that obscured his face and modified his voice, Kylo Ren spoke: "Take them all."

The Sith Imperialists each lit up their lightsabers and blasted through, massacring everyone inside. As expected, a Coalition ship consisted entirely of politicians and ambassadors. Few knew how to defend themselves and barely any fight was put up. A few shots were fired, but it was nothing few swings from a lightsaber could not take care of.

One woman, a former member of the Senate, attempted to swim out of wreckage, but she did not get far.

"Don't move, Coalition scum!" came the familiar voice of Kylo Ren.

The former senator looked up at him as she floated in the waves.

"I remember you. And who you really are. Before you started calling yourself Kylo Ren-"

She was not able to finish the sentence before Ren had started to Force choke her. She gasped for air, squirming wildly, before Ren released her and then slaughtered her with his lightsaber.

At that very moment, an unseen ambassador fired his blaster at Ren, but Ren had immediately turned around, waved his hand, and frozen the blast in mid-air. With another turn of the head, the ambassador was Force-choked to death as well.

After a few more minutes, the massacre was complete and the Sith Imperialists all regrouped aboard the Finalizer.

"The Coalition have been stopped for now," Kylo Ren said. "We have a meeting with Sen. Zyr."

And within a few minutes, the Finalizer had taken off once more into space, while the remnants of Eu IV began to sink to the ocean floor.

SNAP!

It was morning, and Rey was looking out on the bright sunrise, reflected against the ocean. A young woman with dark auburn hair, Rey knew the sight and smell of the ocean well. While she couldn't tell you her exact age, she could tell you, with the utmost certainty, that she had spent the majority of her life on this forsaken planet, and this ocean was the home of far too many broken memories.

Being a planet entirely of ocean, Naragna's population was mostly aquatic. It only had a mammal population of about eleven hundred. Their dwellings and raft-cities had been built at random and were very sparse; most mammals who found themselves on Naragna were there because the world had spat them out. Rey's dwelling was a tiny, dingy home built on a sturdy beam, and it was the furthest away from any other human.

This morning, she had awoken early in her tiny dwelling, and now was ready to put on her helmet for a deep sea dive. She was one of Naragna's many scavengers. She prepared for the long day ahead by diving into the ocean.

Throughout the morning, she swam through the ocean, collecting various bits of scrap, with the occasional dislocated weapon. Some of her findings led her to swim deeper down than ever before. By midday, she had collected enough supplies to make a stop at Niima Outpost, the main "raft-city," if you could call it that. Naragna only had three cities, and they were ramshackle, floating communities. Once there, she stopped at Unkar Plutt's concession stand. A large member of the Crolute species, Unkar was coarse and unpleasant. He inspected her findings and remarked:

"What you've brought me today is worth one quarter-portion."

The Battle of Naragna had happened nearly thirty years ago, and to this day, scavengers still found remnants in the ocean, some of which were worth a fortune.

Rey knew better than to argue with him, and so took her portion without saying anything. She ate quietly in a corner of Niima Outpost, not talking to anyone.

As she swam back, her eye caught something. There was a small vessel that had sunk to the bottom of the ocean. She swam down.

A lifetime's worth of swimming had prepared Rey for the deepest dives, and so she made it to the bottom of the surface in no time. Sure enough, she found the remains of the vessel. It was marked Eu IV and it had been very badly destroyed. It didn't take much to see this was no relic of the old battles; this wreckage had only landed within the last day at most. She raided through the shipwreck, then returned to the surface.

By the time Rey returned home to her dwelling, it was nighttime. She climbed up inside, dropped her afternoon's worth of plunder on the floor, then removed her wet scavenger suit. She entered her dwelling's Turbo Dryer and less than a minute later was completely dry. She took some chalk and made another mark on her wall; yet another day of being alone, all by herself on this dismal, forsaken planet to live a dismal, forsaken existence.

She looked through the many plunders she had taken from Eu IV: scrap, weapons, and a few mechanical devices. She would be certain to get a good portion for them from Unkar first thing in the morning. She could smell a slight bit of mildew on one of the devices; she hoped it wasn't damaged.

It was a flat, rectangular device, likely a small computer. She ran her fingers past its surface; it hadn't been too beat up. She then sniffed her fingers and grimaced a bit at the stench of mildew and oil.

And then, to her surprise, the device lit up:

"Well, that was rather rude."

Rey jolted forward, suddenly realizing that this wasn't just a device; it was an astromech droid. She had known of R2 units and BB units and the ways they bleeped. This was one of the few astromech droids capable of human speech. It began to slowly rolls towards her.

"Come now, aren't you going to offer any assistance?"

"You're a VP series droid," Rey realized out loud, "I thought they only used you on Coruscant."

"Very much true," the droid replied, drolly, "I am VP-3, and I am one of the official administrative droids used by Senator-"

"You're a long way away from any senators," Rey said, "No one on this planet knows what a government even looks like."

"Maybe not," a new voice said, "But I know where that droid was going."

Rey turned to see someone else had entered her dwelling, a young black man in a soldier's uniform. For someone who had spent years keeping to herself, Rey was beyond flabbergasted to have two visitors in her dwelling in one day. She had no intention of waiting to see if this visitor was hostile; she immediately grabbed her staff and ran at him, knocking him over.

"Hey, that hurt!" he said, "Relax, I'm not here to hurt anyone."

"I don't believe you," Rey said.

"This poor gentleman you assaulted is a clone," the droid said dryly with a sigh, "He possesses no danger."

"Thanks, Veep," the man said with a grunt, "Look, I'm here to collect the droid. He has information from Sen. Zyr that could be damaging to Gen. Organa."

"All this talk about senators," Rey said dismissively, "There are no politics here."

"Maybe not, but you _are_ aware that there's an election going on, aren't you? And that Gen. Organa is facing a lot of threats?"

Rey shrugged, having heard the name Leia Organa spoken many times over the years and knew it was someone important, but having never given much thought to who she was.

"I was bred in a lab," the young man explained, "I was created to be a soldier and assassin against the Coalition, but I escaped. And the information I need now is on the droid."

Rey was taken aback a bit at this, feeling for this stranger who had never known any parents or love. Watching him tend to the droid, she was impressed that someone could have such confidence, could be so dedicated to a movement bigger than themselves.

"Hey, what's your name?"

"FN-2187."

Rey winced.

"FN what?"

"That's the only name they ever gave me."

"Well, I most certainly am not using it," Rey said with a mischievous smile, "FN, was it? Finn. I'm going to call you Finn, is that alright?"

He thought about it for a second, all of this being new to him.

"Finn? Yeah. Finn. I like that."

"I'm Rey."

"Good to meet you, Rey."

"Good to meet you too, Finn."

Suddenly loud blasting was heard outside, and Finn looked scared.

"They've come! They're here to take Veep. We need to run!"


	2. Rey and Finn

**CHAPTER II**

Rey felt a strong rush of danger before even knowing what it was. She had already grabbed Finn by the hand and started running out before any soldiers had started blasting their way in. Finn was amazed at how quickly she anticipated everything and with such agile reflexes: was it precognition?

"Quick, the droid!" Finn yelled, and Rey turned around, ducking just in time to avoid blasts. She noticed Veep rolling his way towards her on the floor on his tiny wheels. Within one second she had picked up Veep, and leapt back up towards her secret exit.

"This way!" she cried to Finn, who was blasting his way at the soldiers, then followed her.

Rey had long ago installed secret explosives in her dwelling for security reasons, and sure enough, this invasion activated them. In less than a minute, a speeder-boat went shooting out of the dwelling's stem and straight into the ocean while the dwelling exploded behind them.

"What was that?" Finn asked, incredulous.

"Security," Rey yelled, "Always prepared in case of any trouble."

"What kind of trouble do you normally have?"

"None before today."

"You took some pretty extreme measures!"

"Let's just say I hate visitors," Rey said with a smile.

The speeder-boat continued into the night, until the soldiers and dwelling were far away from them. Finally, when they felt safe, Rey turned off the ignition and the boat came to a stop.

"Those soldiers back there were horrid," Veep said, "They reminded me a bit of the old Stormtroopers."

Both Rey and Finn had only vague memories of Stormtroopers, the military of the Empire from back in the old days. Just the visage of their armor had been a source of fear for an entire generation, and had finally been outlawed after the Empire had collapsed. Still, rogue Stormtroopers had lived on and spread for several years afterward, and many of the current generation remembered them as dangerous thugs. Finally the Senate had offered a reward: any remaining Stormtroopers out there who turned in their armor would be offered a small compensation as well as new lives and employment in the Republic. This had been a clever way to demilitarize the galaxy. All Stormtrooper armor was now banned.

Sadly, the newer military hadn't turned out much better. Now cloning facilities had sprung up everywhere, creating makeshift clone armies, used by various factions for any purpose. Not all clones were perfect. And now, being this close to Finn, Rey finally understood one as a sentient being: a creature of flesh and blood.

"We really should get out of the ocean," Veep said, "I can't exactly swim, you know."

"Hold on a second," Rey said, still processing the fact she had lost her home and all of her, admittedly few, possessions.

"They blew up my transport," Finn said, "I'll need to hitch a ride off this planet. Are there starships at the nearest outpost?"

"They made you?" Rey asked, deliberately ignoring him.

"Yes," he said shyly.

"How old are you?"

"I don't know. All I ever remember is being in a room full of clones who look like us-er, like _me_. I'm still getting used to saying _me_. All my life, I've always been part of a collective. We all follow orders. We all are told to kill. We assassinated countless members of the Coalition. And then one day, I thought for myself. I started thinking as _me_, not _them_. It was-terrifying and exciting."

"What made that happen? What made you-become _you_?"

And Finn only shuddered at this thought:

"Kylo Ren."

"Who is he?"

"Look, do we really need to go through a tedious history lesson?" Veep interrupted, but Finn went on, solemnly.

"He's the leader of the Sith Imperialists and was our master. His rage is worse than I ever thought anyone could ever be. They say he is the one who killed Luke Skywalker."

"Luke Skywalker? The hero?"

"I don't know what to believe about Skywalker," Finn said, "I've heard his name yelled in worship and in frustration so many times."

"I heard he was the main rebel who overturned the Empire," Rey said, "But there's so much talk that no one really knows anything anymore. And no one cares."

"They say he was very close to Gen. Organa. Whatever the case, something happened between him and Kylo Ren. Now Skywalker is gone and Ren has only gotten more powerful. I've seen Ren order more senseless slaughters than anyone else in history. One day I realized he couldn't be my master; he's a monster. And the more I thought about him, the more I realized I didn't need any master."

"But how can he be that powerful?"

"The Force. He's stronger with the darkside than anyone I've ever seen. Speaking of which, what about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are your Force-sensitive?"

Rey had a hard time even wrapping her head around what this question, as she had a hard time even understanding what it meant.

"Why?"

"The way your reflexes jumped into high-gear back there; those were some pretty sick defensive abilities."

"Uh, thanks," Rey said, unsure if this was a compliment.

"I'm telling you this because my guess would be that you've got it, whatever _it_ is."

Rey paused, debating whether or not to share this story. Finally she did.

"A few years ago, I was at Niima Outpost doing my usual trading with Unkar Plutt. After I finished, I was walking through the city when suddenly a passing stranger turned really sharply. He gave me a look like I had overwhelmed him or something. He told me 'You're strong with the Force! I haven't felt a presence this strong in years!' I saw he had a lightsaber on him, so he must have been one of those Jedi or Sith or whatever people. Anyway, he was kind of creepy so I ran off. That's all I know about the damn Force. So I guess it's real."

"Oh, believe me," Finn said, "When you've seen a man stop lasers in mid-air or choke someone across the room just by making a fist, you know how real it it."

There was a pause as they both took this in.

"I hate to break up this tender moment," Veep said, "But what about me?"

"Alright," Rey said, "Here's what we'll do. You said something about this droid having classified information?"

"Yes," Finn said, "I need to get him to Coruscant."

"Then we'll go to Niima Outpost. In the morning, we'll catch a charter flight out of here. I'm going with you."

"Oh, for goodness sake," Veep said, "Who invited you?"

"Pardon the droid," Finn said, "but I don't know if you'll want to come on this mission. There's a lot going on and it's a dangerous galaxy-"

"I know," Rey said, "But my home's been destroyed, and there's nothing for me here. I've never had a reason to leave this place. Now I finally have one. I'm going to take my first step, learn about this thing called the Force. Maybe I'll even meet this big bad Kylo Ren, and we'll see if he's as scary as he's cracked up to be."

"Rey, you seem like a good person," Finn said, "I'd hate to have your blood on my hands. I-ugh, I'm still not used to making decisions."

"Yes," Rey smiled, "Making decisions on your own can be tough. I guess you're still learning how to do it. I'll help you become your own person, Finn, if you do the same for me. Now how about we find shelter at the outpost, and got some rest?"

"It's about time," Veep said, indignantly.

Rey powered the speeder-boat back on and off they sailed. Soon they arrived at Niima Outpost and rested their vessel just outside the raft-city. Finn slept well, Veep switched off for a while, and Rey looked up at the sky. Naragna had sixty-three moons, so almost every night was sure to have at least five full moons and ten crescent moons. Those moons gave her hope, and the thought of going on an adventure filled her with excitement. As she drifted off to sleep, she dreamt of all the things they had discussed. In particular, she dreamt of the Force.

And far, far away, at the Finalizer was making its way through the deepest corners of space, Kylo Ren sat alone on his throne, feeling a strange pull. Someone very strong with the Force was dreaming. And with a smile, he realized he could hone in on those dreams, and even enter them. He began to speak to her.


	3. Kylo Ren & the Senator

**CHAPTER III**

Kylo Ren had a lot inside him: angst, hatred, emotions, but above all, cunning. This was the main reason he had immediately become the leader of the Sith Imperialists. Now, as he sat upon his throne in his beloved Star Destroyer, his cunning would be put to use.

_Who is this Force-user? She's female. And I sense something greater about her. She's back on Naragna…_

He might have gotten further had it not been for an interruption.

The Finalizer had seen many things since its revamp, and its current terrain of an asteroid field would be no worse.

"Master," one of the other Sith Imperialists approached him, "Sen. Zyr requests that you make contact with him."

Kylo Ren's masked face took this in. It was often hard for the others to speak to their master, not knowing how to read his body language. Finally he answered in his distorted voice.

"Move the ship out of the asteroid field so that we may send a clearer transmission."

The Finalizer made its way through to a less rough area of space, and Kylo Ren entered the transmission room. There, a hologram of Senator Tyk Zyr was broadcast.

Zry was of the Chiss species: he had blue skin, blue hair, and red eyes. Ren had to wonder how anyone so ugly, pompous, and lacking in the social graces could possibly be successful in an election. Yet the people of Csilla seemed to like him, enough to have elected him as their senator for multiple terms now, and much of the New Republic had warmed up to him enough that he was leading in the polls against Gen. Organa. Would he be the next president of the Galactic Senate?

"Well, Ren?" the senator asked, with a pompous air of complete indifference.

"Eu IV was destroyed, Sen. Zyr. Its inhabitants killed."

"What about the VP-unit?"

"My men found no signs of it."

"You and me spent hours designing every bit of that data. It was vital to my campaign! And the Coalition somehow stored all that information on one droid! It is imperative that it be retrieved!"

"The droid has likely been destroyed."

"What was the point of even hiring you if it would all be useless?" the senator yelled in fury.

"Because you need me," was the flat reply.

_How stupid he is_, Kylo Ren thought, _So gullible. How could this man ever be a leader? I often wonder if those without the Force have any clue how often they are lied to on a regular basis._

"Why don't you remove that silly mask, Ren?" the senator asked, "I can't imagine it being comfortable."

"That doesn't concern our conversation, senator."

"I remember you before you started wearing it and calling yourself Kylo Ren. And now, here I am running in an election-dare I say, about to _win_ an election-against the beloved war heroine, Gen. Leia Organa. Are you so afraid to acknowledge that she is your mother?"

"Her name means nothing to me."

"Oh then? Then you should know that your father, whose name I suppose also means nothing to you, currently has business on Takodana. Perhaps he misses you."

"Is this a trap?" Ren asked, "Trying to get me out in the open to ambush me?"

"Perhaps," the senator said, "Oh, I remember when Mon Mothma was president. The New Republic ran so much smoother, in the hands of a competent head of state. But since your mother took over, the galaxy has gone to pieces. I guess I should be happy for the rise of insurgent groups like yourselves."

"Careful, senator. If word got out that you were accepting help from the Sith Imperialists, it might mean death to your campaign."

"Yes, I suppose you're right. Very well, Ren. Our deal remains as before. If I hear of any Coalition scum heading your way, I will give you the dispatch order. And I hope, for your sake, that that VP-unit is never found."

"Is that a threat?"

"It might be-"

Before Zyr could finish, he had began to gag for air and reached for his throat with both hands. Ren was Force-choking him, even across the vast distance of space.

"Remember this, senator," Kylo Ren said with rage, "When you become president, you will be in my palm! And I intend to keep you there!"

He released Zyr, and even through the hologram transmission, it was clear that the senator was shaken, relieved to breathe in air, but terrified.

"Now," Ren went on, "Go ahead and win your election. Beat Leia Organa with every bit of strength you have. Kill her if you have to."

"Yes," Zyr muttered, and then the hologram abruptly faded out.

Ren returned to his throne room and debated what to do. He reached deep within the Force, trying to see if he could feel the same presence he had felt earlier, but it was gone now. Perhaps this user-it was a _she_, Ren was sure of that-was no longer dreaming.

"Master," a voice interrupted his thoughts, and he saw that one of his men had entered the room.

"What is it?"

"Several of our clone soldiers have been killed on Naragna."

Ren quietly took this in.

"We have no confirmation but we believe they were killed by FN-2187, the clone who defected."

And with a fit of rage, Ren lit up his lightsaber and stabbed it violently into the ship's control system, hacking it to bits! The destruction was massive, until the machines were smashed beyond repair. Finally Ren calmed down.

"Anything else?"

"No, master."

"Return to Naragna. We have work to do."


	4. A Passage To Takodana

**CHAPTER IV**

Rey could smell Wookiee and seaweed almost as soon as she entered the transport. It was not very pleasant, but she supposed she would have to get used to it for the long voyage ahead.

She had spent the night with Finn and Veep on her speeder-boat. When morning came, the trio had made their way through Niima Outpost, trying to find a transport off the planet. The idea of anyone on Naragna going anywhere near a fancy planet like Coruscant or any other government place was a joke. But she had managed to find one vessel, the Freighter Stagecoach, which was heading towards Takodana. It wasn't much, but it was a start. The trio boarded the Stagecoach, which had six other occupants, and that was when Rey had smelled Wookiee. She had never seen a Wookiee before and she assumed they were capable of human speech.

The Freighter Stagecoach took off into space, and soon Naragna was far behind them.

Their six companions varied from different species: gungan, droid, several non-humanoid species. But the Wookiee was the tallest and the one most apt to make conversation with.

"'Scuse me," Rey asked, "We're trying to get to Coruscant, or at least some planet nearby. Would you know where we could go once we arrive on Takodana?"

The Wookiee roared loudly in response and Finn gave Rey a strong nudge in the stomach.

"Ohh," she said, but he shushed her.

"Are you crazy?" he whispered, "You can't just go telling our plans to every single person you meet."

"Oh please," Rey said, "I highly doubt anyone in here is a Sith. Least of all this smelly fellow."

"Do you speak Wookiee?"

"No, do you?"

"No."

"Well, I didn't know they had their own language."

But the wookie howled again and Veep perked up.

"Why thank you, sir," he said, then turned to Rey, "He says he can help."

"You understand Wookiee?"

"I most certainly do," Veep said proudly, "I am programmed to understand hundreds of languages. This good Wookiee here is named Udo, and he says he can take you straight to his great-uncle."

"Oh, thank you," Rey said, "Who is your great-uncle?"

Udo roared back and Veep translated:

"His great-uncle is Chewbacca."

Rey shrugged.

"Is that someone famous?"

And Udo simply covered his face laughing.

Upon arriving at Takodana, Udo motioned for the group to follow him. It was a beautiful planet, full of greenery and several castles.

"I never knew this much green could exist in the galaxy," Rey said, beaming.

Udo led them to a modest castle that was heavily fortified. Udo roared at them and Veep translated.

"Apparently, whoever lives here is a bit of a bigshot. And he doesn't normally like company. But Udo's willing to help us through his great-uncle."

Udo went right up to the castle and roared into the intercom. Several roars were heard back. Eventually an older Wookiee ran out and joined them. The two Wookiees embraced and, despite not understanding them, it didn't take Rey much to figure out that this was the Chewbacca that had been talked about before. He then looked at Rey and roared back.

"He wants to know what our business is with Coruscant," Veep translated.

"We can't say too much," Finn said, "but let's just say it has to do with the president and the upcoming election."

Chewie looked at them puzzled, then roared.

"The president?" Veep translated.

"Yes," Rey said, "The president. Leia Organa. We want to help her"

Chewie motioned for them to enter.

The interior of the castle was just as beautiful as the outside. It was decorated, though a bit of a mess. Rey guessed that whoever lived here was someone who was not the best at housekeeping. Many plaques in many alien languages hung on the walls. Finally Rey came upon one written in a language she could understand. It read:

**General HAN SOLO**

**In Honor Of Exceptional Service**

**In the Battle of Yavin**

**Valiant Service To the New Republic**

Rey was amazed that one single person could have accomplished so much. Meanwhile, the two Wookiees kept roaring at each other until a grizzled voice said:

"Chewie, you always knew how to make noise."

And then an older man stepped out with a bit of a smirk on his face. Rey pegged him as being in his seventies and still handsome; she imagined in his youth he must have been quite something to look at. The man then turned to Udo.

"Udo, kid, I've missed ya. Every time Chewie brings his family over, I never know what to say."

They embraced, and then the man turned to Rey and Finn.

"Looks like ya brought a little party with ya this time, Udo," the man said.

The Wookiees both roared what they knew at him, and he took it in.

"Are you-" Rey hesitated, "Are you Gen. Han Solo, the war hero?"

"You're damn right I am," Han Solo said, "Now what's all this Chewie tells me about you needing to help my ex-wife?"


	5. Meeting Han Solo

**CHAPTER V**

Han Solo was a bit gruff, but an overall jovial man. He immediately treated his guests to a feast in his grand dining room.

Rey had never eaten roasted porg or tauntaun beef before; after years of always being hungry, she could finally stuff her face, gobbling as much as she could. Han stared at her and smirked.

Rey got a sense that this older man, as charming as he still was, was very lonely. He seemed very close to Chewbacca, who sat beside him, and the two often shared laughs, but something in Han was tired, as if the spark had been gone.

"General, this droid contains important information," Finn said.

"Yep," Veep chimed up, "It is most pertinent, sir. It's all part of a plan to interfere with Leia Organa in the election-"

"Calm down, kid," Han said, "I never really understood all this politics stuff. I'll take you to Leia and you can explain it to her. Ya know, that droid of yours reminds me a bit of Threepio, though he looks like Artoo."

"General?"

"Two droids I was friends with. I'm not sure if Leia still has them or not."

Rey had certainly never met Gen. Organa-or Leia-yes, she felt comfortable calling this woman by her first name despite not knowing her-yet it did not take the Force to see that this man clearly still felt love for her. Though it wasn't exactly romantic love; it may have been once. But now it felt more like melancholic love, one full of regrets. Regrets of mistakes he's made, mistakes she'd made-no, both. She could tell.

"Leia always understood that stuff. She cared about the causes. I was always the scoundrel along for the ride. After the empire fell, we got married and I was there, holding her hand when she first became senator, when she gave birth to our son-but then the dark times came."

"Listen, general," Rey began.

"Oh, enough with all this general nonsense. Call me Han."

"Han, are you and Leia still-"

"Still married? Yeah, we stayed married for political reasons. A lot of the royal planets and star systems don't believe in divorce. Alderaan didn't believe in divorce, and that's where she grew up as a princess so she had a tradition to maintain, even though Alderaan's been blown up for decades now. But married, divorced, whatever you wanna call it, we haven't been on the best terms for a long time. After she went from senator to president, I agreed to go off, let her do her own thing, and moved here. The people on this planet like having a war hero around, it's good for their tourism, and I got Chewie here to keep me company. I'm too old for the smuggler life and too big to not enjoy a little celebrity. I gotta admit, having little kids come up to me and call me Gen. Solo does make my day."

Rey could tell that Han enjoyed his lifestyle (living in a big castle with all the glory of having been a war hero was nothing to sneeze at), yet something in him still missed the good old days.

"Do you ever talk to her?"

Chewbacca gave a sad wail.

"Quit yer moaning, Chewie," Han said, then turned to Rey, "I haven't in a few years. A lot happened. Maybe our son killed what we had. Or maybe it was me. Anyway, she and I always had our differences, but if I were to show up at her front door right now, I don't think she'd mind it too much."

By now Rey had finished eating. Han gave her another smirk.

"You good, kid? I have a feeling you'd devour another tauntaun steak in a heartbeat."

"No, I'm stuffed," Rey smiled, "Listen, Han, I realize what we're asking is a lot but-"

"You want me to take you to my wife. Actually, more than that: you want me to take you to Coruscant and and right up to the president of the New Republic's doorstep, in the middle of an election, no less."

Chewbacca roared.

"Yes," Rey said.

"Hell, yes," Han said with a smile, "But you see, if we were to go in any old ship, security would turns us out right away. But there's one ship we can go in that will definitely get their attention."

Han had his protocol droids clean up the dining room, then led the group into another room in the castle. It was a hangar, containing several starships. But one immediately caught everyone's eye.

"The Millenium Falcon!" Finn beamed, "When they gave us piloting lessons, they taught us all about that ship."

"I think I've heard of it," Rey said, "What is it?"

"It was the most famous ship in the entire galactic war! It fought in the battles against both Death Stars!"

"Yeah, she's been through a lot," Han said. "Chewie and I always took good care of her. And Lando did too, I suppose. When I came here a few years back, everyone told me I should donate it to a museum. 'The ship that took on two Death Stars!' But I've always held onto it. And I'd say it's time I took it for a spin."

Rey entered the Millenium Falcon first, finding it a very old and rustic yet quaint ship. She ran her hands past the old mechanical walls, then sniffed her fingers, thinking that they smelled like rust and warmth. She then remembered that the last time she had sniffed her fingers after running them past a machine, that machine had started talking to her, so she looked around, relieved.

She then walked to the cockpit and sat in the pilot's seat, imagining all the things this ship could do.

Eventually, she was joined by the others. Once Han, Finn, Veep, Chewbacca, and Udo were all in the cockpitm Rey, with a mischievous smile on her face, asked:

"Han, could I be your co-pilot?"

Chewbacca immediately roared in protest, but Han silenced him, then turned to Rey.

"Have you ever been piloted a ship before?"

"No," she said with a grin.

"With all due respect," Finn interrupted, "I'm the pilot here with the most recent training."

"Here's what we'll do," Han said, "Finn, you be the pilot. Rey, you be the co-pilot. And Chewie and me will be right behind you, giving you pointers."

They each got in their positions and Finn turned the ignition. For the first time in years, the Millenium Falcon began to take flight.

"Now," Han said, "Very gently fly us out of this hangar."

Finn began to gracefully fly the ship, but Rey almost immediately hit the wrong button. The ship swerved, knocking several other ships over. Then it took flight again, and exited the castle.

"Jeez, Rey. You're a lousy pilot," Finn said.

"Yeah, kid, ya are," Han said with a smile, "But don't worry. I'll train you the whole way. Now let's get outta here."

And the Falcon flew off into horizon. Rey was nervous. She knew she wasn't a very good pilot, but with Gen. Han Solo sitting right behind her and telling what to do, she felt all the confidence in the world.

The Falcon made its way to Coruscant, unaware it was being tracked.


	6. Up Against a Star Destroyer

**CHAPTER VI**

Kylo Ren was not in a good mood.

He had felt the pull of this Force-user for some time now. Yes, the Force was strong with her, yet she seemed to keep moving.

As his Star Destroyer had made its way back towards Naragna, he had felt a movement, a sense that she had left the planet. For a short while he didn't sense her at all, so he simply put her out of his mind. Now he felt that presence again, and realized she must be close by.

He turned to his right hand man, Darth Cullen.

"I feel that Force-user. Prepare the shields and see if a ship is in range."

"Are you sure that's necessary, Master?"

"Make it necessary!"

The Sith were known for not always getting along. This was part of the reason the Rule of Two had been established by Darth Bane over a thousand years ago. However, since the fall of the Empire and the rise of different factions, several darkside-users had banded together to create the Sith Imperialists. In Kylo Ren's opinion, the Rule of Two was idiotic: why operate in a way where all it took was any stranger with two shots in their blaster to end your entire order? If the Sith were going to survive, they needed a real organization, a place to cultivate followers. The Sith Imperialists were the Sith's first guerilla movement, and Ren was sure that the legendary Darth Vader would have approved.

The Finalizer's radar did indeed pick up a ship: a small freighter. Ren took a good look at it and froze.

"I've seen drawings of that ship's design," Darth Cullen said, "Isn't that the Millenium Falcon?"

"Yes," Ren said, recalling many bad memories of that ship, remembering it leaving him alone and flying away. "Destroy that ship!"

"That?" Darth Cullen asked, "It's just a tiny thing. What danger can it possess?"

"It's heading towards Coruscant. That's all I need to know. Now BLOW THAT PIECE OF JUNK OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

And everyone knew to obey Ren when he was in one of his tantrums.

* * *

Onboard the Falcon, Finn was piloting just fine and Rey was starting to get the hang of things when suddenly something knocked them off-course.

"We've been hit!" Finn yelled.

"Something hit the main-rear deflector shield," Han said, and then, with a nostalgic smile on his face, added "Where's an asteroid field when you need one?"

Rey looked and saw a Star Destroyed behind them.

"I'm guessing one of those is not good news."

Finn took a look and his face dropped.

"That's the Finalizer. Kylo Ren's personal Star Destroyer."

Han did a double-take at this.

"Did you just say Kylo Ren?"

"Yes. Well, technically it's the Sith Imperialists' Star Destroyer, but he's the one in charge. I've been on the ship when I was with the other soldiers."

"You-you-" Han was realizing something, "Kid, you told me you were a clone soldier used by some guerillas group, but you never mentioned who it was. You never told me your boss happened to be Kylo Ren."

"What, do you know Kylo Ren personally or something?" Finn asked.

Han just grew silent and mumbled, "As a matter of fact, I do."

"Guys, they're shooting at us and they're getting closer!" Rey yelled.

"Turn her around!" Han yelled, "The Falcon's outwitted Star Destroyers before."

Finn did his best to pilot the ship, but Rey was struggling to keep up. The Falcon began doing backflips, turning upward, downward, rightward, and leftward, every which way but loose to avoid the blasts.

"No, not that stick!" Han yelled, "Hold on, Rey! Let me teach you!"

Rey smiled as Han showed her the right maneuver. Something told her she was learning from the best.

Another blast hit them hard!

"If we swing right we can just outrun them," Han yelled, "Where's Chewie?"

He turned to see Chewbacca was missing, but Udo stood in his place.

"Where the heck did your great-uncle go to?" Han yelled, but Udo only roared something in return that was beyond Rey's understanding.

"Can't we use the hyperdrive?" asked Rey.

"We're this close to Coruscant," Finn said, "I mean, if it's the only way, but-

And suddenly the Falcon sped forward, almost as if it had sprouted an extra rocket! Everyone jolted back!

"What happened?"

"Whoo, I think Fuzzball just saved us!" Han laughed, "Chewie turned on the carmogen-drive links!"

"What is that?"

"The emergency blast drive that the Falcon keeps in the rear-shield. Ha, I remember now why Lando called this the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy!"

Sure enough, the Falcon sped safely forward, avoiding any further shots from the Finalizer behind it, and soon was within Coruscant's orbit. They were safe!

Chewbacca reentered the cockpit with a triumphant road and everyone cheered and applauded their saviour. Even Rey gave Chewie a big hug and said, "I think I could get used to the smell of Wookiee after all."

* * *

-This chapter is dedicated in memory of Peter Mayhew-


	7. Leia, Living With Pain

**CHAPTER VII**

Coruscant was a planet of endless skyscrapers: a metropolis of the galaxy. It was one of the few planets to look exactly the same now as it did during the days before the rise of the Empire. Rey had never seen buildings before; while something like a castle she could at least comprehend, tall and sleek buildings like these felt like something out of a dream.

The Falcon made its way across the sky, before arriving at the Senate Building and began to land.

"Okay, we're here," Finn said, "But how will they ever let us see the president?"

Before Han could respond, a large group of droids and security were already exiting the Senate Building, and a woman stepped forward.

"That's her," Han said with a sigh, and began to make his way outside.

The group exited the Falcon and walked through the group, up to the woman. Leia Organa was solemn, quiet, and never took her eyes off Han.

Chewie was the first to come forward and give her a strong embrace.

"I missed you, Chewie," she said.

Next she hugged Udo; she had always liked Chewie's family.

She then turned to Han and said.

"I saw the Falcon was landing outside, and I knew trouble was here, and you along with it."

"Time's been good to you, your worship," Han said with a smirk, then turned serious and said "Leia, I saw our son. Or faced a Star Destroyer with him on it, to be exact."

Leia turned deadly serious.

"He tried to kill you?"

"Yes," Han said.

"Of course all this would happen now, when we have an election going on-"

"And that's why we're here," Finn said, holding up Veep, "Madam President, my name is Finn and there's a plot against you. This VP-unit had information-"

"I see," Leia said, "Thank you. Maybe it's best you talk to my advisors and technicians. They understand this stuff better than I do."

She then looked at Rey and said, "The Force is really strong with you."

"Oh, uh, thanks," Rey said, always feeling awkward when strangers told her this, "Are you a Jedi?"

"No," Leia laughed, "My brother was the Jedi. He trained a whole school of them. He taught me a little bit about the light side of the Force, but that's about it."

"Look, Leia," Han said, "We've got a lot to talk about-"

"You and I always did," Leia said with a nostalgic smile, "But I'd rather not get into it with you just now. Come inside; we'll give you quarters, and in an hour, we'll talk."

The group went inside. While Han and the Wookiees were led to their quarters and Finn and Veep were led to the advisors, Rey found herself alone with Leia. The two walked the halls of the Senate together.

"You said your name was Rey?" Leia asked.

"Err, Madam President-" she began.

"Oh, you can call me Leia. I've had so many titles over the years: princess, general, senator, and president."

Rey was astonished.

"How could anyone be all of those things? I'd be happy to have just been one."

Leia gave a big laugh.

"Well, it's a long story. I was raised on Alderaan as a princess in the Royal Family. Even after Alderaan was destroyed, I still used Princess as an honorary title. After the Empire fell, I was given the title of General by the Alliance, and it made sense. After all, most of my adult life had been serving in a military capacity rather than a royal one. Not to mention my husband was a General too, so it felt fair. When the New Republic was formed, I was made Senator and helped rebuild a lot of the democratic planets. And finally, when Mon Mothma stepped down, I ran for President and succeeded her."

"That's quite a life!"

"Of all the titles, General is still the one I like the best, the one that most describes me. But honestly, I'm fine with Leia. So-I see you and my husband have become friends."

Rey didn't know what to say; she was still in shock at being in the presence of someone who was both a president and royalty.

"Oh, Han," Leia said melancholy, "There was a time where all I'd ever do was sass back at any comment he'd make, and he'd come back harder with another sass. We spent a good chunk of the war against the Empire just hurling insults at one another. Even after we get married, we each knew how to make digs at the other's expense. I guess we always did enjoy it. But then the dark times came."

She became very sad, and Rey suddenly realized she could feel her sadness. Seeing sadness on a person's face was easy, but what Rey felt was something else. It was a physical sadness that was touching her, overwhelming her. It seemed to repeat the images of _Remorse_, _Regrets_, _Mistakes_, and _Heartache_ over and over.

_This must be what the Force is_, Rey thought, _what I'm feeling right now._

"What happened?" she asked.

"Our son turned to the darkside, became a psychopath I couldn't even recognize. My brother took it hard and disappeared. And our marriage, which had always been rocky, had nothing left. When I look at Han now, I'm all out of insults or snarky comments."

Rey gasped.

"How-how can you?"

"Learning to live with pain is one of the hardest things to do," Leia said, "Sometimes it's a crippling thing that can leave you in bed, unable to move. No, this kind of pain never goes away. I remember when Luke taught me about the Force and how seductive the darkside could be. At the time I naively thought: 'You'd have to be really emotional to fall for the darkside.' And then pain entered in my life, pain that has never gone away. I know now that if I ever used the Force, the darkside would be right there, staring me in the face. So-I work where I'm most needed: in the Senate."

Rey felt nothing but respect for this woman.

And right at that moment, they were interrupted by Leia's advisors.

"Madam President, we have studied the information on the VP-unit and cracked the code. We think you'll want to see this!"

"Alright," Leia said, "Let's make our way to my office."


	8. Smear Campaign

**CHAPTER VIII**

Leia's office was very well-decorated, as you would expect that of the President of the Senate to be. As she led Rey and the others inside, they all stood around the technician droids, which had finished their scan of Veep. Standing there was Polen Orlock, one of Leia's advisors.

They projected a holograms of Leia's face, and also the masked face that was iconic to every figure in the galaxy: Darth Vader.

"The data on this VP-unit is very impressive," Polen said, "Like all good propaganda, it very cleverly combines truth with fiction. It contains samples of Anakin Skywalker's DNA and your DNA, Madame President, indisputably revealing that Darth Vader was Leia's biological father."

"What?" everyone exclaimed.

"That must be a lie," Finn said, but Leia looked down.

"No, it's true," Leia said, "Darth Vader was my biological father. But no one outside the family has ever known that. I had to keep it secret, and Luke and Han did the best they could to ensure it. If the news ever got out, it would singlehandedly end my presidency; everyone in the galaxy would demand my recognition."

"It's worse than that," Polen went on, explaining the data, "The plans also say this made you an illegitimate princess of Alderaan, that you are a Sith, and that you used your Force powers to influence the Senate. It also accuses your brother Luke of being a terrorist who has disappeared to learn his father's powers. In short, this is a pamphlet stating every reason why the Skywalker family should be feared."

"But it's so detailed," Leia said, incredulous, "It knows everything about my family, right down the exact date Luke disappeared, the things he would do, our Force abilities, things we both got from our real father. There's no way Sen. Zyr could have come up with this on his own."

She realized the truth.

"Our son must have helped him."

"It makes sense," Finn said, "This is why Kylo Ren was always communicating with the senator, and why they sent my squadron to take out the ship with this droid."

"You think our son would go to all this trouble just to discredit his mother?" Han asked.

"No," Leia said sadly, "It probably runs deeper. He probably wants Sen. Zyr to win the election, so that he can be his puppet ruler."

"There's more," Polen went on, "Apparently there's a rumor that Luke Skywalker has finally been spotted somewhere in the Hosnian System."

"The Hosnian System?" Finn said, "I know where that is!"

"This data falsely implicates the Hosnian System in war-crimes," Leia said as she looked it over, "Zyr will use this propaganda to not only go after me Leia in the election, but to then justify a war and subjugate the Hosnian System, hopefully killing Luke in the process."

Rey stood there. She had grown uncomfortable hearing all this, knowing she was an outsider to this family.

"Look," she said hesitantly, "I know that I just met you-I'm not part of your family-and I don't know a single thing about politics-but it seems to me this situation is pretty easy to fix. I mean, we have Veep right here. All you have to do is erase this data and all traces of it. You'll end the lies before the senator even gets a chance to spread them. Problem solved."

Polen raised an eyebrow at this idea. But Leia only responded in devastation.

"This isn't about politics or about winning or losing an election. If I had to step down for the good of the galaxy, I would do it in a heartbeat. What scares me is that my son would and could do this."

"Don't you see what's happening?" Han said, "Our son and Zyr are using each other, but both think they are the one pulling the strings: Zyr just lusts for power and is using the Sith Imperialists as his muscle as means to an end, while our son is using Zyr's lust for power to achieve his own agenda."

"But what about Luke?" Rey pleaded, "He's being accused here too. Shouldn't we find him? Shouldn't we give him a chance to defend himself?"

"Luke's gone," Leia said flatly.

"What's the story between Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren?" Finn asked, "I'd like to hear it once and for all."

"After the Empire fell, Luke trained the first generation of new Jedi. Our son was his best student, until he turned to the darkside, took a few followers, and killed the rest of the school. Luke was devastated. He said something about going to find the old Jedi texts, and that was when he disappeared."

While this conversation was going on, no one had noticed Polen slowly start to deactivate Veep, then grab the droid and pull out his blaster. Han turned just in time and immediately shot first.

BLAST! BOOM!

Finn and Rey ducked as the shots were being fired, almost destroying the office. Polen was fast and agile, and easily avoided every blast.

"Polen, what are you doing?" Leia asked.

"I'm sorry, Madam President. It's been an honor serving you, but now that I know that you are Darth Vader's biological daughter...in fact, I even have indisputable proof of it...that's worth a fortune! And as for all the warmongering parts, who cares if it's true or not? People will believe anything that scares them!"

He shot another blast at Leia, knocking her over.

"Leia!" Han screamed and run to her while Chewie roared.

After a few seconds, they saw Leia had only been stunned and would be alright, but it was enough of a distraction: Polen had already fled the room. Within seconds, a small pod could be seen flying out of the Senate Building.

* * *

Over the next few hours, Leia came to, but was very tired and was taken to her quarters. Han and Chewie stood beside her the whole time. It didn't take much to see that Han still cared deeply about her.

Rey and Finn stood out in the hall, waiting nervously.

"What do we do now?" Rey asked.

"I'm not sure," he said.

"Look, I said I would help you get the droid to the president, and I did my part. Maybe my role in this story is over."

"Would you really go back to Naragna?"

"No," Rey said, "But what can I do?"

"We can go out and try to recover Veep, but he's probably already out on the black market by now, maybe in the hands of some smuggler making their way off Coruscant right now."

"I don't think any of this is really about an election," Rey said, "Leia doesn't really care if she wins or loses. She has a broken heart. What we need to do is find Luke Skywalker."

"Gee, you make it sound like it's the easiest thing in the world," Finn said with a smile, "If Luke could be found, Ren would have found him a long time ago."

"Look, those rumors about the Hosnian System-it's worth a shot! You can pilot one of those tiny starships, can't you?"

"Sure. But-do you really believe you can do this, Rey?"

"Yes. We're setting out tonight. Don't tell Han and Chewie. Their place is here with Leia. Let's do this ourselves. The two of us."

Suddenly the heard a familiar roar, and turned to see Udo.

"Okay, the three of us," Rey said with a smile, "We going to find Luke Skywalker!"


	9. The Reylo Dream

**CHAPTER IX**

That night, Rey, Finn, and Udo snuck through the Senate building, found a small freighter and took off. It was nowhere near the size of the Falcon. But it was large enough for three passengers, more than any of the X-wings available were.

As they passed over the cityscape of Coruscant, Rey looked nostalgically down at the citizens below.

"Coruscant seems like a nice place. I wish we could have seen more of it."

"I feel bad about leaving Han and Chewie behind," Finn said, and Udo roared in approval.

"I think they'll be happier with Leia," Rey said, "And if choose to come after us, they have the Falcon."

She liked Han and Leia a lot, but she could tell they had fought enough battles for one lifetime. They needed rest.

Soon the freighter was leaving orbit, once more looking out at the black of space. Finn entered a course for the Hosnian system, though was hesitant.

"Still not sure if this is right," he said, "We-er-I-"

"Still having trouble thinking as an individual?" Rey said with a smile, "It's okay to say 'I.' If you disagree with me, I won't take it personally."

"I just-have a bad feeling about this."

Finn activated the hyperdrive, knowing it would be several hours of travel, and Rey was starting to get sleepy. Slowly, she nodded off.

* * *

Far away, on the Finalizer, Kylo Ren felt her pull again. And slowly, he began to call to her.

* * *

_Rey saw herself as a child, reliving her last remaining memory of her parents before they had left her on Naragna. Her father was a kindhearted blonde man who looked very ashamed of himself for what he was doing, as he did every single time Rey had ever recalled this memory. Her mother had dark hair was crying. He called out her name: "Cala, it's time to go." She agreed-_

_ And then a masked figure was standing next to her. Rey had never seen him before, but suddenly she had two dawning realizations: that she was dreaming, and that this was Kylo Ren._

_ "The girl I've heard so much about," he spoke in his distorted voice._

_ "What are you doing here?"_

_ "You're still sleeping," Ren said calmly, "I even sense you are resting comfortably in some ship, somewhere in hyperspace. Everything around us is a dream-except you and me"_

_ "Get out of my dreams!"_

_"So this is the only memory you have of your parents before they abandoned you, eh? You've lived this moment over and over again, seeing him say 'Cala, it's time to go.' You know that your mother was named Cala, and you have no memory of what your father's name was."_

_Rey felt the pain of this memory, the knowledge of her parentings having abandoned her._

_"This feels wrong, like a-"_

_ "Like a violation? Relax, I won't look any further, and I don't really care what you dream about. I'm here to talk to you."_

_ "How are you even doing this?"_

_ "You're strong with the Force. I could sense you all the way from space. Learning to enter dreams is something only the Sith could teach me."_

_ "I know your parents. You turned away from them, broke their hearts-"_

_ "If you think they were such great parents, you'd be in for a surprise. I could show you some of my memories sometime."_

_ "Whatever they may have done, they're still people! They don't deserve to be in pain! And you and that senator are planning to destroy your mother's career!"_

"_If only you were one of us. You could do so much for the Sith Imperialists."_

"_Please-get out of my head and just let me wake up!"_

"_You're strong, but you need to train your Force powers. I could help you."_

"_Why would I want to be part of the Sith Imperialists?"_

"_I'm offering you a home: a new way to rule the galaxy. Don't you want this power, to enter the dreams of others? To stop blasts in mid-air?"_

"_I don't have enemies like you do."_

"_You will soon. Someone as strong with the Force as you will make them quick, just by entering a room."_

_Rey shook. She tried with all her energy to wake up. Slowly, the visions around her were starting to break up, she caught a slight glimpse of Finn flying the freighter, only a few feet away from her, then she was back in the dream-state._

"_Impressive," Ren said, "You can almost wake yourself up. Right now you're drifting in and out of sleep. You know that after you wake up, we're going to meet again, and it's not going to be in a nice dream state? Next time, it may be your life."_

_Rey fought against him with all she could, and eventually, he let her go._

* * *

She jumped forward in her seat. She was awake.

"What happened?" Finn asked, startled, "Bad dreams?"

"He knows me," Rey said, "Somehow, he knows all about me!"

She described the figure she had seen, and Finn looked alarmed.

"Yep, that's Kylo Ren. Which means he's onto us."

"How long was I out?"

"A while. For a while, I was starting to wonder if you'd turned into Sleeping Beauty. I knew you were still alive though; you were snoring louder than a Wookiee."

Udo laughed at this and Rey processed, realized Finn had made a joke for the first time. While she didn't like being compared to a Wookiee, she had to admit it was probably a fair joke. She realized she was scared to ever go to sleep again.

"Are we still in hyperspace?"

"Yes, just disenganging now."

The freighter came out of hyperspace and soon the planets of the Hosnian system all came into view.

"Well, no weapon here," Finn said, "Where do we land? And wherever it is, I hope it's a place where I can get some sleep.

"Let's land on Hosnian Prime," Rey said, "I need some time to think and figure things out."

And so the freighter landed, unaware of the Finalizer coming out of hyperspace right behind it, and setting its sights on Hosnian Prime.


	10. A Jedi Emerges

**CHAPTER X**

Finn landed the freighter on Hosnian Prime and found a nice hangar in a pastoral area. The entire planet was one big farming village, and the locals were the Nom, a simple species with fish-heads. As soon as they disembarked the freighter, the trio looked around.

"You said you wanted a place to rest?" Rey asked.

"We're going to-I mean _I'm_-I'm going to-"

Rey giggled a bit. It was cute the way Finn still wasn't fully at ease with thinking as an individual. Meanwhile, Udo roared loudly.

"It's alright, Finn," Rey said, "It's okay for you to want to do something I don't want to do. It looks like Udo is as tired as you are anyway."

The trio walked over to a nearby inn, where they rented a room. Finn and Udo headed upstairs to get some rest while Rey agreed that she would meet them there in a few hours.

Rey walked through the village, enjoying the locales. She had seen so many different landscapes over the last few days, yet something was drawing her to this planet.

She suddenly felt very drowsy, and realized she was getting sleepy again.

_This isn't normal_, she thought, _I just took a long nap on the ship. How can I be this sleepy? This is Kylo Ren again, trying to get into my dreams._

She struggled to stay awake, when suddenly a large spacecraft was landing. It was a shuttle from the Star Destroyer.

Almost immediately, several cloaked figures disembarked, pulled out lightsabers, and began attacking the Nom. Rey watched in horror as these simple creatures, who could barely defend themselves, were being slaughtered by these hooded figures.

"Attention, people of Hosnian Prime," one of the hooded figures yelled, "You are now part of the Sith Imperialists! We offer you aid and succor as one of our colonies!"

Finally, a masked figure emerged, and Rey recognized Kylo Ren, even though it was her first time seeing him in person. He looked exactly as he had in her dream; her vision was a little less hazy and his mask appeared darker, but it was him.

As he walked off, away from the others to a heavily forested area, she followed him. He activated his lightsaber: it was a crossguard lightsaber, producing three plasma beams, and it was bright red.

Rey instinctively ran towards him.

"No! You can't do this! These Noms didn't do anything to deserve this!"

Kylo Ren turned towards her and simply held up his hand and Rey froze. She felt herself gasping for air, as if her ability to breathe had been removed. Was a hand choking her? She brought her hands to her throat, but felt nothing there. This was what being Force-choked felt like.

"I knew we'd meet soon, girl," Ren said, "I followed you here. But it's not too late. You can still be one of us."

Rey sensed a lot from him, mostly fear and insecurity. Something in him was unfulfilled. Well, if this was to be how her death would come, then so be it. She had made a mess of her life, she knew that much, and she was going to face death with dignity.

And just as Rey was starting to lose the last bit of her breath, she noticed a new figure starting to walk forward. The grip around her neck began to loosen; even Ren was surprised by this figure.

The figure was also hooded, but a lot older and in much more modest robes. He was not one of the Sith Imperialists. Ren only stared at the figure, dumbfounded.

The figure lifted up his hands towards his hood: his right hand was normal, his left hand was a metallic prosthetic. The hands then removed the hood, and the bearded face of Luke Skywalker was revealed.

"What are you doing here?" Ren asked.

"Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing," Skywalker responded.

Ren dropped Rey entirely and turned all his attention to the new figure, and Rey was relieved to feel oxygen enter her lungs once more. Skywalker activated his lightsaber; it was bright green. For a moment the two figures stared each other down, then Ren ran at him with all his strength.

Rey stared at this older man. She knew this was Luke Skywalker, knew it with all her heart. Yet he just stood there. Kylo Ren swung his lightsaber every single direction he could, and Luke simply defended himself, moving his saber in position, barely even breaking a sweat.

"This isn't what I wanted for you, Ben Solo," was all he said.

"That name holds no more meaning to me!" Kylo Ren screamed in rage.

"I wanted you to have a better life. Not to fall into the mistakes of those before you. Like your grandfather. But I made mistakes. I made the wrong choices. And I feel every bit of pain that you feel."

"You know nothing of pain!" Ren screamed, "You were too busy playing hero to know pain!"

And with that, Luke dealt another blow, striking Ren in the shoulder.

Ren screamed in shock. Luke simply raised his hand, and with one wave of the Force, the weakened Ren was knocked out, falling to the ground completely unconscious. Luke then began walking over towards Rey.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes," Rey said, still trying to get her voice back.

"Come with me. The other Sith will be after their fallen master any second."

He helped Rey up. They looked out of the forest, seeing the other Sith still decimating the village.

"What about my friends?" Rey said, "They're in the village right now!"

"We'll save your friends if we can," Luke said, "But one thing at a time. Follow me."

"You're him, aren't you? Master Skywalker?"

He said nothing, but only gave her a knowing look.

And in that moment, Rey understood everything: her dreams, her sensations, her desire to visit Hosnian Prime. It was all leading up to this. She had set out to find him and now she had. Luke Skywalker was asking her to follow him.


	11. Finn's Escape

**CHAPTER XI**

Finn had snapped out of his sleep immediately. While he would definitely have preferred a few more hours, his fighting instincts had kicked in; he had been bred in a clone-lab for combat situations exactly like this.

The room in the inn was on the third floor, and so he had first heard blasters outside, giving him ample warning. He jumped into high-gear, seeing Udo was doing the same.

By the time both had reached the ground floor, they saw all the Nom had been slaughtered! There was no rhyme or reason to it; it was just a senseless massacre!

Finn ran out blasting, aiming at several the hooded figures! He recognized them immediately as the Sith Imperialists, his former masters. One turned around: it was Darth Cullen.

"You?" Darth Cullen said, "You're one of our clones. The one who defected after we took down Eu IV. Traitor!"

Finn fired, but all the Sith easily blocked his blasts with their lightsabers. Finn sadly realized that he was outmatched and that these weren't the type to take prisoners: they intended to kill. Udo roared, and Finn ran after him towards the hangar.

"Where's Rey?" he asked, "We can't leave without her!"

Udo roared again and Finn realized how much he hated not speaking Wookiee.

However, right at that moment, he heard the Sith saying something to one another, something about Kylo Ren being taken down. Without their master, the Sith were a bit scrambled, and this was the only moment they'd have to escape.

Once more in their freighter, Finn and Udo jumped into the pilot's seat, and began to take off. As they did, they were shot at a few times, but were saved by the rear deflectors. Soon they were back in orbit.

Finn felt bad about leaving Rey behind, even though he trusted she had enough skill to fend for herself.

But he had little time to worry; no sooner was he in space than he saw a new vessel there to greet him.


	12. Luke's Story

**CHAPTER XII**

Looking up at the sky, Rey saw the freighter take off and was able to breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that Finn had escaped, and she sensed the Udo likely was with him.

"They got away," she told Luke, "I don't know where they'll go, but at least they're safe."

"I'm happy for your friends," he responded, very solemnly, as then continued to lead her uphill into the forest.

"Master Skywalker," she said, working up the nerve, "Your sister needs you. The galaxy-"

"You know my sister?"

"I briefly met Leia. She's in pain."

"The Force is really strong with you," he said bluntly, "I'm guessing you want to be a Jedi?"

"I-I honestly don't know. I don't even know what the Jedi are."

Luke only stared back at her.

"I was once just like you. And I'm grateful now to have been so naive. What's your name?"

"Rey."

"And where's your lightsaber, Rey?"

"I-I don't have one."

"I can help you make one," he said, and gestured to his own, "I crafted this one myself after losing my first one, along with my hand. I chose to make it green, my own color."

"I would love to learn," Rey said, "If I could know more about the Force."

They kept walking uphill. She sensed something interesting in Luke. He seemed angry and bitter about many things, yet he also seemed to trust her.

"It smells like dead fish," Rey commented as they walked.

"That's because hundreds of Nom have been slaughtered at the bottom of the hill," Luke said starkly, and Rey felt bad for having spoken at all.

Finally they reached the top of the mountain, and Rey looked down. It was a sad sight to see: an entire village in flames.

"Where have you been all this time?" Rey asked.

"Going to bed early," Luke said with a slight smile, then turned serious, "When the Empire collapsed, I was the most famous person in the galaxy, and I wasn't even twenty-five years old. I was Luke Skywalker, the man who had single-handedly destroyed the first Death Star, and then been beside Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine at the moment of both their deaths in the second Death Star. My sister was one of the leaders of the Alliance, and she helped rebuild the New Republic. Everyone wanted to know my story, my legend. Do you know what it's like to be the most famous person in a galaxy that had been so fragmented that it barely knew what it was? You have nothing left to do but make mistakes and inherit other ones. So I decided to take it upon myself to rebuild the Jedi, to right the wrongs of my father's legacy.

"Now Leia and I had to make a bold choice: would we tell the world who our father had been, given that he had been one of the most feared men in the galaxy. We both chose no. She had a career in politics, so it was easy for her to share the same cover story she had always lived by: that her parents were some distant relatives of Alderaan's royalty, and nobody needed to know who my parents were. After all, Alderaan was long destroyed, and no one had reason to care that much about who the former royal families had been.

"I chose to never have children; I didn't want the Skywalker gene to continue. When Leia told me she was pregnant, I was immediately scared, scared of another Vader. But of course, I couldn't tell Han and Leia not to have children; that's their right. Anyway, their son was born, and I wasn't surprised to discover just how strong with the Force he was. I knew right away I'd have to train him; letting him into the world without any supervision would be a danger waiting to happen.

"I loved him as a nephew, and he was my best student. But the news of who his grandfather had been fueled so much rage in him. The darkside told hold of him and never let go. He destroyed my school, took half my students as his followers and murdered the rest. And now the Sith Imperialists conquer the galaxy, taking planets, like this one, and making them Sith colonies."

"If he's a Sith, why doesn't he call himself Darth Something?"

"There's a reason he calls himself Kylo Ren, but Han knows that story, not me."

"What happened then?"

"I lived in shame of what I'd created. I went off in search of the old Jedi texts, hoping to find something. To find myself. And then, when I realized I owed it to the galaxy to try and fix what I had created, I became a wanderer. I said 'I am a Jedi without either master or apprentice, so I shall walk the galaxy alone, dealing justice where it need be dealt. Over the last few months, I've drifted from planet to planet, stopping travesties like the one we just saw today."

"Well, you're here now," Rey said, "And you've met him again. Will you train me?"

"I haven't trained someone in a long time. Part of me wants to, but how do I know you won't become another Sith?"

"I guess you can't," Rey said, "But you can take a leap of faith."

"Yes," he said, "I suppose I can."


	13. The Senator Strikes Back

**CHAPTER XIII**

Kylo Ren awoke, realizing he was once more aboard his Star Destroyer. He stroked his mask; it was always unpleasant to sleep with a mask on, yet he had, and his shoulder was killing him. Furthermore, his dreams had been strong and overwhelming; he had sensed her again, and he had felt her emotions at seeing Skywalker.

Darth Cullen entered his quarters.

"Master, we have colonized Hosnian Prime. It belongs to the Sith now."

"Where did you find my body?"

"It the forest area. You were badly wounded, so we took you back."

"Skywalker in on that planet. Or at least he was; don't let anyone fly on or off."

"No, sir."

"And get me a transmission to the senator."

"Yes, sir."

A few minutes later, Ren was in the transmission room. A hologram of Senator Tyk Zyr appeared before him.

"Ren, I grow tired of threats-" Zyr began.

"Relax, senator. I'm not to choke you-this time. I wanted you to know Luke Skywalker has been found. He's in the Hosnian System."

"How did you find him?"

"Our little smear campaign led someone right to him. I guess it worked after all, even if not in the way we intended it."

"Good. Get rid of Skywalker; let the whole world know that their beloved hero was the son of Darth Vader."

"Oh believe me," Ren said, "It will be my pleasure to handle Skywalker."

"Speaking of which, I have a campaign to run. Perhaps you've noticed I've been beating your mother considerably in the polls."

"I know you regret doing business with me," Kylo Ren said flatly, "And what you're thinking right now: that the very moment you win the election, your first act as president will be to have me killed."

Zyr was shocked, amazed at the extent of Ren's clairvoyance.

"Do what you want," Ren said, "The next time we speak, I will have killed Skywalker, and this election will be decided, one way or the other."

Ren abruptly ended the transmission, then walked out, igniting his crossguard lightsaber, swinging it in fury!

* * *

In his office on Csilla, the senator turned off the tiny hologram that had been transmitted on his desk. It was a neat and shiny office: the office of an important man. He had had just about enough of these Sith Imperialists; all he wanted was to win this election and not put up with any snot-nosed kid.

Right at that moment, he received word that he had a visitor; his team had found the smuggler who had been making a name for himself.

Polen Orlock was led inside.

"Leave us," Zyr said, and his men left. He was alone with the wormy man.

"Hello, senator," Polen said, "I was an aide for President Organa. I have information that may be useful to you-"

"Let me guess," Zyr began, "It happens to be on a VP-unit?"

"Yes," Polen said, holding up the droid, "And for a fee I'll-"

Zyr simply pulled out his blaster and shot Polen in the head! The wormy little man went flying across the room!

Zyr had put up with enough in his political career and knew he didn't have time for nonsense. Sometimes, murdering in cold blood was so much more effective.

The VP-unit began rolling across the floor, away from Polen's corpse.

"I say, good sir," Veep said, "This whole affair has gotten out of hand. The information on me is not worth all this trouble. Now, you are a senator, correct? I'm sure you can extract the data-"

"You're a talkative little droid," Zyr said, "It's sad to think how many Coalition scum were murdered because of you."

He picked up Veep and headed to the technician's room. He was going to use this data, win the election, and get Kylo Ren out of his life.


	14. A Helping Hand

**CHAPTER XIV**

Finn and Udo did not have much time to worry.

As they remained in space onboard the freighter, they watched as every single transport vessel that tried to leave Hosnian Prime was blown up by the Star Destroyer. And any attempt to help from other planets in the system were also taken out. Basically, the planet had been completely blockaded. And so Finn had hung there in limbo.

But soon the help came: the vessel they had seen coming towards them was the Millenium Falcon.

"Looks like Solo found us," Finn said with a smirk, and Udo roared.

The Falcon rendezvoused with the freighter, and Finn smiled to see the familiar faces of Han and Chewie greeting them.

"There ya are, kid," Han said, "After you disappeared on Coruscant, we didn't know what to make of things. Look, if you were gonna go run off and get yourself killed, the least you could have done was leave Chewie's great-nephew out of it."

"Udo wanted to come with us," Finn said, just as Udo and Chewie reunited with a hug, each one roaring.

"I wish I spoke Wookiee and knew what the hell they were saying," Finn said, and was surprised when another voice from onboard the Falcon joined them.

"I've known this walking carpet for years," Leia said, "And everything he's ever said is right in his heart."

"Madame President?" Finn said, "What are you doing here? Don't you have an election to worry about?"

"I love my galaxy, and I've come to love the Senate that represents it," Leia said, "But as a woman without a planet and without a country, what I most need to be is a mother. My son is more important to me."

"Is that what the galaxy needs?"

"I dedicated my teenage years to the good of the galaxy," Leia said, "All my adolescence, I was a freedom-fighter. When I met a certain scoundrel-" and she gave Han a little glare at this- "I was so wrapped up in the fight that I didn't bother to let myself realize I was falling in love with him. And even when he spent three years telling me there was a bounty on his head, I ignored that, telling him that the Rebel Alliance was more important and that he was selfish for actually caring about his life. Until a bounty hunter actually caught him because of a debt I'd personally kept him from paying. I watched him get frozen in carbonite, and I realized how consumed I'd been. I spent the next year not knowing if we'd be able to rescue him; for all I knew; he could have been dead, and I'd have effectively sacrificed the one person I ever had a chance of being in love with because I was too stupid to notice it. Well, eventually I unfroze him myself, and since then vowed I would never let my political life get in the way of my family. Except I did exactly that. I forgot to be there for my son."

"We both came looking for you," Han said, "because we know we have to confront him."

"Well, good luck with that," Finn said, and pointed out at the Finalizer, "He's there. Or he might still be down on the planet. There was a lot of confusion when they showed up."

"Where's the girl who was with you?" Leia asked.

"She's still on Hosnian Prime. All I know is the Sith Imperialists aren't letting anyone on or off the planet. The planet is under siege!"

While Han looked sad and Chewie bewildered, Leia reached out. Finn realized she was using the Force, as little as we knew what that meant.

"Luke's down there too," she said, "The rumors on that campaign were true."

"Is he with Rey?" Finn asked, but Leia wasn't sure.

"We're going to meet our son," Leia said defiantly, "And I have a feeling that down there is where it will all happen."

* * *

And far down on the planet's surface, which had been almost completely subjugated by the Sith and their soldiers, one cave lay hidden and impenetrable to life-scanners. It was one of the few caves in the galaxy that produced kyber. Inside that cave was one lone X-wing, and beside it, Luke Skywalker had given a chisel to Rey. She was working away at carving out a kyber crystal from the cave walls.

"Master Luke-" she began.

"You can dismiss with the traditions, kid," Luke said, "For whatever the Jedi ways may have once been, just call me Luke." He then added with a smirk, "The only one who ever called me 'Master Luke' was Threepio. And he was a droid friend who, while I have many fond memories of, I'd rather you not remind me of."

"Okay," Rey said, "Then, Luke, what exactly am I doing?"

"You're building your own lightsaber."

"What-how-?"

"If you're going to be a Jedi, you're going to need your one. I built this one myself. I built this one myself, and it took me almost a year. I lost my first one when my hand was cut off on Bespin. I chose to make this one green, to make it my own color. In time, you'll choose your color."

Rey finally chiseled out a decent sized piece.

"Good," Luke said, "Now, what else will you need to complete building a lightsaber?"

"Well, a hilt for one thing. I suppose that's a metal alloy-"

"Forget those things. You can find a piece of metal anywhere. But what will you ultimately need to put the puzzle pieces together and make the crystal inside it come to life?"

"The Force."

Rey closed her eyes. She still didn't understand the Force, but somehow she was getting a better handle on it. Luke was teaching her more about the light side everyday.

"Yes," she said, "It's right in front of me. There's a way to control things. To find life in things. Can I turn this piece of crystal into a lightsaber? I guess I can try."

"My teacher Yoda once said something about trying," Luke said with a smirk, "But I think I'll save that anecdote for later."

* * *

Everyday, Rey continued in her training. And every night, her dreams of Kylo Ren became stronger. She dreamt over and over again of her parents abandoning her, of her father who's name she didn't know, and of her mother named Cala, which she only knew from that one sentence he had said to her. Yet now in her dreams, Kylo Ren would always appear, always in his mask. And she always knew that even thought these were dreams, the conversations were very real, and that Ren himself was truly having them on the other end, wherever he was.

_"I sense you, you know," he said, "I know you're with him. I know what he's teaching you. He can't keep you safe forever."_

_"Leave me be," she would snap back._

_"Feel this, Rey," he gloated, "This is the power of the darkside. Don't you want it?"_

_ "Why are you this way? Why do you hate your parents?"_

_"I don't hate them," he would say. And she felt sadness in him._

From every dream, she awoke feeling more of that power. This Force-connection was strong; she appreciated what Luke was teaching her, but this was an entirely different side of the Force. Rey knew she shouldn't give into it, but she had to admit: now that she had had a little taste of the darkside of the Force, it truly felt good.


	15. Holograms and Deception

**CHAPTER XV**

The last few days had been a smashing success for Sen. Zyr.

Zyr had used his smear campaign at every corner of the galaxy, revealing President Organa's parentage and using fear-mongering to create sympathies for a war with the Hosnian System. While not everyone fully believed the stories, everyone knew of the recent uprising of the Sith Imperialists at Hosnian Prime, and the fact that President Organa had not been seen in a while but was rumored to have gone there recently seemed to back up his claim. Zyr gave many campaign speeches, and he seemed more and more likely to win. Zyr would be the very first Chiss president that the galaxy had ever had.

As for Veep, the droid was immediately plugged into the virus machine on Zyr's office, to be given a full memory wipe. After being unplugged, Veep certainly was a lot less talkative.

Zyr was planning his big speech in his office, and muttered to himself:

"Looks like I'm going to beat this, and all without the help of that snot-nosed Kylo Ren. The first thing I'm going to do as president is tell him off."

"I was thinking, sir," Veep said, rolling into the office, "Why wait until after the election? Why not now?"

"What?" Zyr snapped.

"You know how rash and unstable he is. If you tell him off once you become president, he's likely to try and assassinate you, maybe stage a coup. But if you tell him off now, with the election in full swing and so much support against the Sith, any attempt he would make will fail, and it will just help your victory even more."

Zyr smiled. The idea of telling Ren off now excited him, even if it went again against his better judgment.

"But-I don't want him Force-choking me-"

"Don't speak to him live. I can send him a recorded hologram for you; he will take that as the ultimate insult."

"Yes," Zyr said, "Alright, get ready to record. I know exactly what I want to tell him."

* * *

And far off in the Hosnian System, as Kylo Ren sat in his Star Destroyer, continuing to monitor Hosnian Prime day in and day out, trying to track down that girl, Darth Cullen suddenly approached him.

"Master, you have a new transmission from the senator."

"Doesn't that idiot ever tire out of things to say?" Ren said, but then went to the transmission room. Sure enough, a hologram of Zyr was transmitted in front of him.

"Hello, Ren," the senator sneered at him, "Don't bother trying to choke me; this is a recording."

Ren had been able to tell his right away; this hologram had been pre-recorded and there was no one to sense in front of him.

"I'm sending this to tell you that I found the VP-unit you were supposed to find, and have put his data to good use. It looks like I will be winning this election on my own. So, my friend, I no longer have any need for your services, and will look forward to having you killed like the insolent coward you are."

Ren was taken aback by this, but the recording went on.

"You think you're so powerful, just because you can use the Force and murder people with it? That just makes you a thug. And your precious idol, Darth Vader, was nothing more than a thug either, though at least he had some sense of military strategy. No, it's people like me, people who can't use the Force, who are the real conquerors. Because we survive on our brains. I've outsmarted you, Ren, both as a strategist and as a leader. And now, let it be war between us!"

And the transmission ended. Before Kylo Ren had a moment to react to this insult, the entire system went down; the Star Destroyer was suddenly losing course.

"Master!" cried Darth Cullen as he ran into the room, "There was a virus in that transmission! It's overriding all our systems! The Finalizer is losing power!"

Ren reached out and began choking Cullen.

"How? How can one simple hologram have a virus that powerful?"

Cullen struggled to breathe, but was able to get out.

"It was-deeply encoded in-the transmission-no computer-could have detected it-"

Ren let go of Cullen and ran through the Star Destroyer, wielding his lighstsaber in fury!

* * *

Back on Csilla, Zyr waited impatiently. Veep had been plugged into the office's computer and had broadcast the recorded message out to Ren.

"Was it successful?" Zyr asked.

"Affirmative," Veep said, then was unplugged and rolled away.

Zyr was happy-until his aides started running into his office.

"Sir, all the systems are down!"

"What? How is that possible-"

And suddenly, all his computers began to explode! Zyr was knocked over as his office was exploding in ruins.

In all the chaos, no one noticed Veep slowly rolling out of the burning office and towards safety, for Veep was the only one who knew exactly what was going on.

When Veep had been plugged into the virus machine, the memory wipe had not worked. Zyr and his aides had forgotten that Veep was a much newer model. Instead, Veep had uploaded the virus program off the machine, and since then had coyly pretended to have had its memory erased, showing no signs of any data.

And now, in a cunning act of sabotage, Veep had used Zyr's hologram transmission as a way to trick everyone, simultaneously sending the memory wipe virus out to both Ren's Star Destroyer and to Zyr's entire office, making sure to override every single system until they short-circuited. As Zyr's office was going up in explosions, Veep merrily rolled right out the front door and onto the icy-terrains of Csilla. He was happy to have gotten revenge on both his captors, and would have to make due on this icy planet for the time being.

* * *

And far off, as the Finalizer had lost all power and was starting to fall out of orbit, the Sith Imperialists ran into escape pods. Kylo Ren was enraged that this Star Destroyer, which had been his home for a while now, was being taken out like this, only to now float forever in the vacuum of space.

He entered his tie-fighter; if he was going to go out, he was going to go in style. He flew out of the sinking Star Destroyer and towards Hosnian Prime. Yes, he'd get his revenge on Zyr, but first he was going to settle his business on the planet's surface and kill Skywalker and the girl!


	16. The Amber Field

**CHAPTER XVI**

Inside their cave, Rey had finally finished constructing her lightsaber: it was a maroon color. Luke had laughed at this.

"Of course you would choose pink."

"It's not pink!" she sassed back, "It's maroon. I always liked that color. It has a nice edge."

Luke then prepared her for her daily training. He had told her all about the Force, how it had existed since the dawn of the galaxy, and how both the darkside and light lived in tandem.

"How can Kylo Ren enter my dreams the way he does?"

"That's a power only the darkside can use."

"It seems-" Rey began, but then held her tongue.

"What were you going to say?"

"It seems only the darkside gives you the best powers. To Force-choke, to enter dreams."

"The darkside gives the appearance of being more powerful, which is why so many go straight to it. And it preys on your emotions. It takes discipline to use the light side. That's why so many fail at being a Jedi."

Rey reached out. Yes, she felt the Force, and she could lift rocks off the ground, if only by a few inches. But that temptation was always there. Every single time she tried to use the Force, part of her went straight to the darkside. She felt the temptation to Force-choke, even though she knew it was surrendering herself to the darkside. How could anyone resist this power? Still, she disciplined herself around Luke.

Suddenly she felt something strong, and she could tell Luke had as well.

"He's here! Kylo Ren just landed."

"Is he worth fighting?" Luke asked, solemnly "Or is he worth redeeming?"

Rey could sense the conflict within Luke, but right then he felt something else.

"Leia. She's here too."

And Rey realized she could just recognize Leia through the Force, even if she had only met her once.

"If they're all here, I have a feeling this is going to be it," Luke said, "Let's face them."

* * *

Only a short distance east of the cave, Kylo Ren had landed his tie-fighter and exited, and only a short distance east of that, the Millenium Falcon had landed in the village. Several other Sith had landed on their tie-fighters as well, all around them.

Finn and Udo came charging out of the Falcon, blasting at Darth Cullen and the other Sith. Han and Leia stuck their heads out as Finn kept the way clear.

"Go, Solo!" Finn shouted, "Find your son."

And Han, Leia, and Chewie made their way across the field.

* * *

And so, imagine the following, dear reader: a large amber field in the middle of Hosnian Prime, Kylo Ren in the center, Luke and Rey on the far end, just out of his view, and all the way on the other end, Han, Leia, and Chewie running towards him.

It was Han who saw him first, and who first called out his name:

"Ben!"

Kylo Ren stopped, having not heard his father's voice in many years. He turned around and saw both his parents walking towards him. And with them was that Wookiee, the one that had been like another uncle to him.

"Han Solo. Leia Organa. I've been waiting for this day for a long time."

"Take of that mask," Han said gruffly, "You don't need it."

"What do you think you'll see if I do?"

"The face of my son."

On the other side of the amber field, Luke and Rey came into view and stopped, both in awe of what they were seeing.

Kylo Ren removed his mask. It came off very easily. And underneath it was a boy, clean-shaven, long-haired, surely no younger than twenty-five.

"Your son was foolish," he said, "He was weak and foolish, like his father."

Rey saw all this and thought, _All this time, after all he's been in my dreams, he's just a boy. No scars, no wounds. He even speaks with a normal voice._

Luke saw all this and thought, _Han! After all these years, Han hasn't changed his recklessness. I have to warn them!_

And the boy Kylo Ren, who had once been known as Ben Solo, walked towards his parents. Han and Leia were in shock, still processing that this was their son, whose face they hadn't seen in years. They saw the face they had raised looking back at them. And they felt only love.

"Come with us, Ben," Leia said, "You belong home, not here."

"What home did you ever provide for me, Mother?"

"I guess that's fair," Leia said, "Then let's start again. Let's be the family I didn't allow us to be."

Hesitation.

"I was selfish, thinking of my political career before our family. But your grandfather isn't who you are."

"If you had really believe in the Sith, you would have named yourself Darth Something," Han said, "You named yourself Kylo, after your first toy."

His son said nothing.

"I remember that doll," Han went on, "It was a tiny monkey-lizard. You called it Kylo, and you called yourself _Kylo Ren_, because you couldn't pronounce _Ben_ yet. That's what you are now, son. A boy playing with a toy. Not a Sith."

"Come with us," Leia said, "The three of us can go home and start again."

"It's too late for me."

"No it's not. We miss you."

Luke called out to Leia: _He's not being sincere. He's thinking of killing you._

And Leia recognized his voice and thought: _Luke's here. He's watching us right now._

"Come home, son," Han said, and reached out his hand.


	17. The Last Stand

**CHAPTER XVII**

Leia sensed something was wrong here. She loved her son, but he wasn't going to give up so easily. Her Force powers, as barely-trained as they had been, sensed deception.

Han held out that hand firmly, and his son finally reached out and held it-but Leia saw his other son was heading for his lightsaber.

"Ben, no!" she screamed in time, and just as the lightsaber was wielded, Han had already jumped back and Leia had thrown herself in front of him!  
Kylo Ren raised his weapon in fury, ready to strike down his two parents, who cowered in front of him, when Chewbacca charged at him.

With one swing, Chewie's arm slice right off. The Wookiee howled in pain.

"Chewie!" Han screamed.

"Ben! No!" Leia said.

"I'm sorry, Chewie," Ren said, "You were good to me. Sometimes even better than my real father was. But right now you're in my way."

And he stabbed Chewie again.

Luke sprinted across the field, yelling "Ben!"

It occurred to him, without irony, that he had yelled that same name once before, many years ago, when trying to save someone else from another Sith.

Ren turned around at Luke's voice, smiled, and ran towards him. Han and Leia barely had time to process that Luke was there and near them; they were both grieving their fallen Wookiee companion.

Rey ran after Luke, but struggled to keep up. She could see this confrontation was going to happen in the middle of the field.

As Ren ran forward with his lightsaber wielded, Luke slowly drew his. For a moment there was silence between the old teacher and student-

-and then they met on field, face to face.

"I've waited for this for a long time," Kylo Ren said, "I've hunted you, trapped you here on this planet. And now I will have killed the last Jedi!"

Rey ran faster, finally catching up them. She wielded her lightsaber, ready to finally use it in combat for the first time-

-only for Ren to simply raise his hand and toss Rey ten feet backwards with just the Force.

He ran at Luke and the two lightsabers clashed! Ren was far more aggressive than before. He thrashed at Luke, knocking him back. Luke nearly fell backwards, but then charged forward, pressing Ren's crossguard saber towards his shoulder.

Rey watched the whole fight powerless. Both men were of equal strength, and each could easily win.

Ren tossed Luke back. As Luke tried to raise his lightsaber once more, Ren put all his weight on top of him, keeping him from raising his arms.

And then Luke pushed back in triumph and swung his lightsaber across Ren's face.

The boy known as Ben Solo/Kylo Ren lay on the ground unconscious, a large cut across his face. Rey, feeling her strength come back to her, began to get back up.

* * *

Luke stood over the boy's body, holding his lightsaber, thinking about finishing the job.

Then he looked across the field. Han and Leia were still trying to nurse the dying Chewbacca; they had barely paid attention to the fight.

"You can't die on me, fuzzball," Han said, through his tears, "You've saved my life so many times. Maybe not as many as I've saved yours, but-"

"Chewie," Leia said, also through tears, "Chewie, we love you."

Chewbacca gave one last roar, the last of millions, and then passed away. Han only squeezed his lifelong best friend, then closed his eyes.

Luke looked at his sister and husband, feeling their pain, then turned off his lightsaber and began walking towards them.

"Luke!" Rey called after him, "What are you doing? You're going to just leave him alive again?"

"Ben may have murdered many innocent people. He may be twisted by the darkside beyond all hope. But-I will not kill him. I will not kill my nephew, and bring more pain into the lives of my sister and her husband."

"He also tried to kill _me_!" Rey reminded him, "Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"If you choose to make your own fight with him, that's your path," he said, and walked away.

Rey watched, unable to speak, as Luke approached Han and Leia over Chewie's corpse.

"Luke!" Leia said and embraced him.

"Hey, kid," Han said through his tears, "I see you finally learned to take care of yourself."

It was one of the most beautiful reunions Rey had ever seen.

"Our son," Han asked, "Did you-?"

"He was redeemed," Luke lied, "He came at me with all he had and I had to strike him in self-defense. But when he lay dying, he renounced the Sith and wanted me to tell you you were right about him. And then he faded away, becoming one with the Force."

And Han and Leia believed this, and embraced Luke as they mourned their son.

* * *

Rey took this in. Her respect for Luke grew tremendously, but she also knew the truth. She couldn't leave Kylo Ren alive.

She ran back up the field to where the duel had just taken place-

-and saw the body had gone. Kylo Ren had run off.

She then heard a noise and looked up to see Luke's X-wing flying out of their cave. Ren had been quick to find their hiding place and make his escape.

Then she felt something else: Finn was nearby and also in trouble. She didn't want to break up the beautiful reunion between Luke, Han, and Leia, so she darted across the field, avoiding them, and ran straight into the village.

She recognized the Millenium Falcon, where sure enough, Finn and Udo were still blasting at the other Sith. He was starting to lose his energy, and Darth Cullen was closing in.

"You're our soldier clone who defected," Cullen said, "You are a traitor and scum! I'm going to enjoy this."

"Finn!" she yelled out!

Finn looked over at her and smiled. And right at that moment, Cullen began to make his fatal strike.

On pure instinct, Rey raised her hand and began Force-choking Cullen. He gagged, bringing both his arms to his throat. Rey tightened her grip, realizing she was using the darkside, realizing how strong it made her feel. She wanted to kill this Sith, to be done with it.

But then she saw Finn, looking at her in fear. For the first time ever, she realized her friend was scared of her.

With all her strength, Rey let go. Cullen got his breath back, then stood back up.

"Alright," Rey said, "Let's do this the old-fashioned way."

She wielded her maroon lightsaber and Cullen did the same. His lightsaber was bright yellow. The two began to fight.

Rey still felt the Force, but this time felt her instincts kicking in. She could tell this was the light side. Something about it was different than what she had felt a minute ago.

Rey was knocked back as Cullen advanced. The two charged at each other several times, lightsabers clashing.

He pinned her against a tree, ready to strike her down.

Then Rey jumped back up, flipped herself around, and decapitated Cullen in a single move!

"Whoa!" Finn said, "How-how did you do that?"

"I'm going to be a Jedi," Rey said, "And that means, I need to start somewhere."


	18. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

The ride back was fairly uneventful. Luke, Han, and Leia arrived at the Falcon with Chewie's body. Udo wailed at seeing his great-uncle's corpse. The group agreed they would give the Wookiee a proper burial on Coruscant, as he had been a great war hero.

As the Falcon made its way through space, they heard the news: Sen. Zyr had won the election and would become the new president. He had miraculously survived the explosion on Csilla, and was being viewed by many as a hero. Furthermore, news had spread of how Hosnian Prime had been liberated and the Sith had dispersed, and he had been quick to take credit for it.

"Let it be," Leia said, "I served my galaxy as Princess, General, Senator, and President. Now I can hand it over to someone else."

"I'm sorry, Leia," Luke said, "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for your son."

"You did what you felt was right," she said.

Along the way, they heard a distress signal from Csilla, emitting from a deserted area of the planet. Finn insisted they land. Once they did, the ship's sensors immediately led him to a familiar droid.

"Well, hello," Veep said, "It's about bloody time I was rescued."

"I have a feeling this droid is going to be a lot of trouble," Finn said with a smile, "Come with us."

The group returned to Coruscant, where Chewbacca's burial was held in a solemn ceremony.

* * *

A few days later, as Leia's presidential term came to its end, Han was packing up the Falcon. He, Luke, and Leia were returning to his castle on Takodana to live out the remainder of their days.

First Rey said goodbye to Leia.

"Are you sure you want to leave?"

"Yes. I don't need to see Zyr's inauguration. And I think it's for the best I spend some time with my husband, reclaiming what we lost. After all, it wasn't all bad times. Sometimes we lie to ourselves and believe the worst. Life's too short to dwell on our tragedies."

And with those simple words, Leia turned around and solemnly boarded the Falcon. Next it was Han's turn to say goodbye to Rey.

"You were the first father-figure I ever had."

"Being one kid's father was enough for me. I'm glad you got me to see the galaxy one last time, and try to right the past. At least my son's at peace now."

He boarded the Falcon and now Luke was the only one left.

"Are you sure it's wise to do this?"

"The Sith Imperialists are no more," Luke said, "You killed Darth Cullen, the few remaining Sith are scattered throughout the galaxy. I think I've done my part and now I can enjoy a time of rest."

"Kylo Ren is still alive. He might come after you...and them."

"He might, but I don't think he will. He's alone now, and has to know he needs to re-strategize. That kid has a lot of things to sort out."

"What about me?"

"I've taught you the ways of the Jedi. Or at least I started to. But actually becoming a Jedi is something only you can do yourself. Swear to me you will not use the darkside of the Force?"

And although Rey knew she was lying, she told him.

"I swear."

Luke seemed contented.

"I think my training is in good hands with you. Make the most of our your life, Rey from Nowhere."

And with that, the Falcon departed, off to Takodana, with its three heroes riding happily into the sunset.

* * *

That night Rey again felt the temptation to use the darkside, until she finally gave in. She reached out and sensed Kylo Ren; he was sleeping somewhere (she sensed he was on some starship, seeking refuge, all alone) and she entered his dreams.

_The little boy named Ben Solo was in his home, playing with his toy monkey-lizard, when suddenly Rey stood in front of him. Ben looked up at her, suddenly realizing he was dreaming and that she had violated his mind._

"_How did you get in my dreams?"_

"_The same way you did with mine."_

"_So you're using the darkside now? Have you finally decided to become a Sith?"_

"_No. I've only come to warn you that, whatever you're planning, come to me. Your battle is with me now. I am now the last Jedi."_

_The little boy laughed at her, and Rey exited his dream._

* * *

The next day, the inauguration of Tyk Zyr took place inside the Great Senate Hall. The event was open to the public. Everyone applauded as Zyr became the first Chiss to be president of the senate.

Rey, Finn, Udo, and Veep all watched the ceremony from afar, and there was silence in the air. Rey knew in her heart that this was a sign of bad things to come, and the New Republic would have some dark days ahead. Still, while she didn't trust Zyr, she knew he was no longer being aided by the Sith. As far as what to expect, she couldn't know for sure.

What she _did_ know for sure was that she had her friends with her now. Just the fact that she had friends at all was an accomplishment. She would help Finn find himself, forge his new identity. She would face Kylo Ren again. And she would continue to learn, and become a Jedi, even if the pull from the darkside was strong.

_I have found my place in the galaxy. __ I will preserve Luke and Leia's legacy. And when the Sith return, I will be part of the Resistance._

**THE END**

* * *

**Click on the author's profile for the sequel, **_**Ep. VIII: The Resistance Lives**_**.**


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